More of what I've learned on Nutrition

Following the Insanity Meal plan: 

I was fairly strict on following the meal plan, which I really liked and it wasn't hard, and I definitely didn't feel like I was dieting! I was actually TRYING to get in enough calories each day considering how much I burned exercising and nursing. But I wasn't eating JUNK, I was eating healthy stuff; little to no sugar except natural sugars/fruit; protein with each of 5 small meals a day; lots of fiber; lots of veggies; all whole grains; and all meals are balanced with whole grains, lean protein, veggies, and healthy fat. I have learned a lot about nutrition. I honestly thought I knew a lot about nutrition before, but I had so many misconceptions about health. For example I thought all HOME-COOKED meals were healthy. WRONG!!! OMGosh. I loved to cook with cheddar cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, pasta, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, fried foods, white flour, sugar, fatty meats, etc. 

FATS. Lets talk about good fats and bad fats. We need fat....good fat. About 10%-20% of our calories should be from good fats. For example Unsaturated fats like Avocados, Nuts, Olive Oil, Seeds, Canola Oil and things with Omega 3 like Salmon, Flax, etc.  Ok let's talk about bad fats. Saturated fats and trans fats (which cause heart disease) are found in animal products (meat and eggs), high fat dairy (butter, cheese, anything other than non-fat milk and yogurt , coconut and palm oil (anything that solidifies when cooled). Not to mention all that yucky pre-packaged processed stuff! We should have less than 10% of these fats in our daily calories. Lowering fat intake will help lose weight. But we need to really control intake of those Saturated and trans fats for overall and heart health! I use the olive oil mayo if I used any at all on sandwiches or mixed with tuna. If I eat eggs I do the 3:1 ratio 3 egg whites and 1 egg yolk. I now drink skim-milk, eat non-fat greek yogurt, and if I use cheese I use mozzarella, not cheddar. I use Avocados on sandwiches and dijon mustard. I don't use heavy cream or butter in my cooking anymore, sour cream, cream cheese, or creamy sauces.  And when I eat salad I use Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar or a Vinaigrette. And I'm not even gonna talk about eating out, that's a whole different ball game.

Lets talk about FIBER. I didn't know anything about FIBER. I didn't know what had fiber in it!! Now that I am eating fiber all the time I realize what has it. PLANTS!!! Whole wheat, whole grains, cereal, vegetables, leafy greens, beans, legumes, fruits etc. I had never bought whole wheat english muffins or whole wheat tortillas before! Fiber helps you lose weight and helps digestion. My last week of Insanity I made some muffins. Whole wheat blueberry muffins with whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, and wheat germ in them. WHOA!! I swear that's what made me drop my last 3.5 lbs. in one week. Those things were packed with FIBER. Start reading the labels for Fiber...you will be amazed. 

Stay tuned for more on Sugar and Protien:)